Eerie. This word swirled in my head as I explored Merilee Mitchell‘s moody monochrome world in Tuesday’s post on black and white photography. Her reflection shot above, “Ghost Child,” gives me shivers. Look closer, and you’ll see faint evidence in the background of a ghost town — as well as a child, walking mysteriously across the frame.

I took this photo in Bodie, a ghost town east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. The windows there have a magical quality — when you look inside, you can also see what’s going on in the landscape behind you. It’s as though you’re seeing different dimensions of the past.

Just as I was about to click my shutter, a little girl walked behind me, and I knew I had it. A Hitchcock moment.

To Merilee, a photo doesn’t have to be blatantly macabre to be eerie. But it can have a mysterious, otherworldly vibe — the viewer wonders what lurks in the shadows. Something eerie has a story to tell — one you aren’t quite sure you want to know.

Finding inspiration in Merilee’s work, as well as celebrations like Halloween and Día de los Muertos, let’s go out and capture black and white images that are eerie.

We’re looking forward to seeing a variety of photographs!

— Cheri

__

New to The Daily Post? Whether you’re a beginner or a professional, you’re invited to get involved in our Weekly Photo Challenge to help you meet your blogging goals and give you another way to take part in Post a Day / Post a Week. Everyone is welcome to participate, even if your blog isn’t about photography.

Here’s how it works:

1. Each week, we’ll provide a theme for creative inspiration. You take photographs based on your interpretation of the theme, and post them on your blog (a new post!) anytime before the following Friday when the next photo theme will be announced.

2. To make it easy for others to check out your photos, title your blog post “Weekly Photo Challenge: (theme of the week)” and be sure to use the “postaday″ tag.